All the news that's fit to print.

August Rains

Roscoe in Years Gone By

(from The Abilene Reporter, November 26, 1909)

LOCAL TEACHERS IN ROSCOE TODAY-----WHERE TEXAS & PACIFIC TEACHERS ASSOCIATION IS IN A 2 DAYS’ SESSION-----FIVE WILL BE ON PROGRAM-----Attendance Likely to Reach 250, with Teachers from Every Point of Good Size in Central West Texas-----

Some twenty-five, possibly thirty, instructors in the various schools of Abilene boarded the early morning westbound train today for Roscoe, where the Texas & Pacific Teachers’ Association convened this morning at nine o’clock. The Abilene delegation will be absent from the city until Saturday night at midnight. They were joined here by teachers from the rural communities.

Five local instructors will participate in the program. Superintendent J. H. Burnett will deliver an address on “Some difficulties that a superintendent has to solve.” Principal E. B. Looney of the High School will discuss Latin in the High School. Mrs. E. W. Vawter will talk on how to deal with tardiness, the Round Table will be discussed by Miss Anna Evans, while Mrs. Nannie E. Avriett will discuss nature study in the second grade.

The large attendance of teachers may be explained by the fact that the school board granted the teachers of the public schools a holiday that they might attend. This is rather an unprecedented step and shows that the board is determined that Abilene shall not only not be behind in such matters, but shall actually take the initiative.

The Texas & Pacific, Roscoe Snyder & Pacific, and Orient roads granted a fare of one and a third for the association. Sweetwater entertained all teachers who came over the Orient and waited there for connections. It is estimated that the total attendance of teachers will be between two hundred and two hundred and fifty teachers from such points as Abilene, Merkel, Trent, Sweetwater, Cisco, Baird, Big Springs, Midland, Roby, Stanton, Colorado City, Haskell, Snyder, and Anson.

--o--

Plowboy Football

Local Wildlife

This was the first time I'd seen my garden buddy since early spring..

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Plowboys Fall to Hawley in Opener, 40-20

The 2015 Plowboys varsity football team and cheerleaders.

A
disastrous third quarter did the Plowboys in at Plowboy Field Friday
night against a much larger Hawley team. Both teams went through a
hard-fought first half, but the Bearcats scored three touchdowns, two of
them long ones, to Roscoe’s one in the third quarter to break the game
open.

The Plowboys and Bearcats fought to a standoff in the first
quarter with neither team scoring. Hawley made it inside the Plowboy 20
twice but was stopped both times. Then in the second quarter the
Plowboys stopped another Hawley drive with an interception at the Roscoe
15. Hawley made its first touchdown with 3:35 left in the first half
when Quay Stokes hit Colton Stoker with a pass from the 17. The extra
point was good, and the Bearcats went up 7-0.

However, the
Plowboys responded quickly with a drive of their own, moving to the
Hawley 25, where Brayden Beal completed a touchdown pass to Jose Ortega.
The extra point was good, and the game was tied 7-7. Hawley then scored
another TD with less than a minute to go before the half on a 21-yard
pass play and went up 14-7, the score at halftime.

The third
quarter opened badly for the Plowboys as Hawley’s Stoker returned the
kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to put the Bearcats up 21-7. However,
the Plowboys put together a long drive culminating in a 6-yard touchdown
pass from Beal to Kevin Lavalais. The extra point was no good, and the
score was 21-13. Hawley’s second TD of the quarter came on a blocked
punt and return of 48 yards, putting them up 27-13. Their third came
when Stoker made his third TD of the game on a 28-yard pass play from
Stokes, making the score 33-13.

In the fourth quarter, Stokes
threw his fourth touchdown pass from the 10, but the Plowboys put
together another long drive with Beal hitting Javier Leanos on a 25-yard
pass play for a touchdown to close out the scoring.

Despite the
loss, there was much to be optimistic about in the Plowboys performance
against a much larger team that eventually wore them down and a
quarterback, Quay Stokes, who was last year’s Abilene Reporter-News “Big
Country Newcomer of the Year.” Brayden Beal and his receivers showed a
lot of promise by completing 28 of 35 passes for 263 yards and three
TDs. Ryland Madrid rushed for 35 yards on 8 carries, and Rafael Aguayo
broke a run for 21 yards. Three receivers had big nights. Both Lavalais
and Leanos had 6 catches for 72 yards and 1 TD, while Ortega had 4
catches for 62 yards and 1 TD. On defense, Leanos led the Plowboys with
9 tackles, while Lavalais had 6 and Aguayo 5.

The Plowboys next
meet Hamlin in Hamlin Friday evening. The Pied Pipers went 12-1 last
year, their only loss coming to Albany 49-35 in the state quarterfinals.
That was a senior-heavy team, though, and no one really knows what to
expect from them this year. They lost their opener to Anson 32-14 in
Anson last week, but they have a good coach, Russell Lucas, and a strong
program that has taken them to the playoffs six times since 2008. Moreover,
their JV team went 9-1 last year and they’re playing at home, so the
Plowboys can’t take them lightly. It should be a great game. Kickoff is
at 7:30pm.

The JV Plowboys will play Hamlin’s JV at Plowboy Field tomorrow evening starting at 6:00pm.

--o--

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR ROSCOE LIONS CLUB TODAY AT NOON

Reviving
the Roscoe Lions Club is the purpose of a meeting to be held today in
the Roscoe Community Center at noon. Lunch will be provided, and
everyone, both men and women, are invited to attend.

The
organizers, Vershel Smith and attorney Chris Hartman, feel that the city
will benefit from a civic organization that promotes the principles of
good government and citizenship and takes an active interest in the
civic, cultural, social, and moral welfare of the community.

With
a critical mass of new members, the Lions Club can be a force in
promoting the interests of the city as it was for 86 years in Roscoe
before dissolving some time back. It will also connect to other Lions
Clubs worldwide by renewing its membership in Lions Club International.

All
who are interested in seeing the Lions Club once again being a positive
force in Roscoe are urged to attend. For more information, contact
Chris Hartman at 325-370-4931.

--o--

CITY COUNCIL PROPOSES NO CHANGE IN 2016 CITY TAX RATE

At
a public hearing and budget meeting of the Roscoe City Council
yesterday evening, the Council proposed keeping the tax rate for FY 2016
(starting in October) the same as it was in 2015, i.e., individual tax assessments will be the
same as last year unless there was a re-assessment of a property
through improvements or new construction.

For the entire city,
there has been a $3,000,000 increase in total property value because of
new construction and other improvements, so even if the rate remains the
same, the City will receive an increase in tax revenues.

Final
approval of the Council’s proposal will come next Tuesday at the second
public hearing and City Council monthly meeting starting at 7:00pm.

--o--

DEDICATION TO GEORGE PARKS MONUMENT ON HOMECOMING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

The
monument to George Parks, paid for by donations of former members of
the Roscoe Boys Club and Boy Scout Troop 37, has been in Memorial Park
for a couple of years now, but there has never been a formal dedication,
and it has been decided that Saturday, September 17, will be a good
time to have the ceremony.

As far as I know, the exact time has
not yet been set, but the Boys Club Reunion is scheduled for
2:30-5:00pm at the Lumberyard, so it will fall within that time
frame—more on that later. Mayor Pete Porter, himself a former Boys Club
member and Times Office employee, will make the formal dedication, and a
short program is planned in which former members may briefly speak of
their memories of George and the Boys Club, followed by the reunion in
the Lumberyard.

All former members are urged to attend.

--o--

ROSCOE MAN SENTENCED TO 33 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON

Gerald
Allen Williams, 55, of Roscoe received a sentence of 33 months in
federal prison and has been ordered to pay $410,000 in restitution to
Chevron Pipe Line Company.

In April, Williams pled guilty in the
U. S. District Court in Lubbock to a fraudulent invoicing scheme with
E.D. Walton Construction Co. of Snyder in which he approved fictitious
invoices to EDW for payment. EDW then paid him in cash for the amount on
the invoices, which falsely showed that EDW had completed various
construction and maintenance projects for Chevron. EDW was not charged
because they kept no money from the payments.

U. S. District Judge Sam Cummings ordered Williams to begin serving his term on September 25.

--o--

WEATHER REPORT: DOG DAYS OF AUGUST

August clouds over Roscoe.

The
Roscoe area had typical August weather again last week with mostly
sunny or partly cloudy skies, southerly winds, and highs in the nineties
with lows in the high sixties or low seventies. We got a sprinkle last
Wednesday, but it was not enough to measure. The high for the week was
99°F on Friday, and the low was 68° on Sunday morning. On Saturday, the
skies were cloudy all day, which cooled down things somewhat. The high
that afternoon was only 85°, and the evening was downright pleasant for
Aaron Watson, Cory Morrow, and a crowd estimated at 2000 at the
Lumberyard.

The forecast for today and the coming week is
remarkably consistent. Highs are predicted to be 92° or 93° with lows
from 68° to 71°. There is little to no chance of rain. I’ll be glad when
it starts seriously cooling off, but it appears that won’t be anytime
soon.